Description
This recipe, with minor variations, is based on one in Nigella Lawson’s “How to be a Domestic Goddess”. It is very easy to make and the combination of bananas, rum and raisins is fantastic.
Ingredients
Scale
- 100 g raisins or sultanas
- 75 ml rum
- 125 g salted butter (add 1 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter) – melted
- 160 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 4 or 5 very ripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 175 g plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder

Instructions
- Put the raisins or sultanas in a bowl. Add the rum. Heat in the microwave at “high” for 1 minute. Cover and set aside. This will allow the dried fruit to absorb the rum.
- Set your oven at 170 C or Gas Mark 3.
- Grease a medium-sized loaf tin (23 x 13 x 7 cm).
- Put the melted butter and sugar into a large bowl. Add the eggs and stir to combine.
- Mash the bananas and add them to the bowl together with the vanilla essence.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture. Add the rum-soaked dried fruit. Stir to combine.
- Pour the cake mix into the prepared loaf tin. Put in the oven and cook for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and place the tin on a cake rack until cool. Remove the cake from the tin.
Notes
This is a great recipe for using up old bananas – the squishier the banana, the better the flavour. You can freeze old bananas until you are ready to make the cake.
You can make a non-alcoholic version by replacing the rum with apple juice or water.
This cake is lovely on its own. However, you can spread the slices with butter if you are feeling indulgent!
You can keep this cake for 3-4 days, wrapped in foil, and it will improve in flavour.